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Huawei Mate 9 owners can get a taste of the latest Android 8.0 Oreo if they hurry and apply to participate in the company’s beta program. Google recently launched its newest operating system version and it’s yet to make its way to more devices in a stable form, but Huawei has kicked off a beta testing program for the Mate 9 and it’s looking for 250 volunteers to test the update. Android 8.0 Oreo brings a number of neat changes and improvements over the previous OS iteration, including picture-in-picture support, enhanced boot times, automatically filling passwords, and more. Being a beta program, however, means that the software is not yet fully optimized for the device and users might encounter some hiccups until a stable version is released.
Those who understand the risks of running beta software and would like to enter the program can get the Beta Friendly User Test (FUT) straight from Huawei’s website at the source link below and follow the instructions there to proceed. The process is pretty simple and straightforward – after downloading the FUT, users will have to sign in with their Huawei ID and wait for the Android 8.0 Oreo beta release, which will become available as an over-the-air (OTA) package. Since some things may not work properly, the app also includes a feedback section where users can report any issues or bugs they run into while using the beta firmware. It seems that only the Huawei Mate 9 is currently eligible for the Android 8.0 Oreo beta program, but Huawei might add more devices in the next few months to further test the software.
It’s also worth pointing out that the Android Oreo beta appears to be available only for Huawei Mate 9 units running the firmware version MHA-L29C432B194, at least for now. Huawei might expand the beta test to more units running other firmware versions, though no confirmations on that front have yet been given by the Chinese phone maker. Users who join the beta but later decide to quit for some reason can do so by following the instructions on Huawei’s website, which will presumably open a new spot in the program for someone else.
Huawei's Friendly User Test